Describe your vision of a healthy, safe, equitable transportation system for Baltimore City and the roles walking, biking, and public transportation play in that vision.

As Mayor, I started the Downtown circulator which provides free transportation service. I also initiated the development of bike lanes in this city. I seek to expand them in ways that are supported by the city's infrastructure to ensure safe accommodations for cyclists and other transit innovations. I envision public transportation in Baltimore to be an equitable and efficient system. Transit systems should support people in food deserts and provide them with access to fresh food sources. I hope to expand and develop transportation services to transport people from disenfranchised neighborhoods to the new job centers. We also need to have the systems to connect with the MARC train stations more easily. We need to reduce the congestion in the city and build upon the routes for alternative means of transport (bikes, scooters, etc.). We need safer walk ways for students and access to major parks. We also have to assess the Mobility service and how it supports seniors and those individuals who utilize that service.

The fastest and most economical way to address climate change, improve public health, and create equal access to opportunity is to design a city that reduces dependence on private automobiles. What are the biggest barriers to getting people to choose walking, biking, or public transit instead of personal vehicles, and what would you do to address these impediments?

Perhaps the biggest impediment is public safety. There are some communities where it simply is not safe to walk or bike through. After dark, there is an added risk to being out alone. I have put together a comprehensive public safety plan that addresses what we must do as a city to reduce not only violent crime, but quality of life crime as well. With homicide, robberies, and assault in neighborhoods, citizens need to feel safer in order to do very common tasks like walk to and from their vehicles alone after dark. As my plan outlines, increasing police presence in communities can help. I outline a community policing structure that encourages officers to get out of their patrol cars and walk their patrol beats. Officers should get to know the neighborhoods that they are patrolling and build relationships with community members.

In 2017, the Planning Commission approved the Separated Bike Lane Network plan that connects 85% of Baltimore’s neighborhoods by creating safe, protected places to ride a bike. Do you agree with the plan’s recommendations, and if so, what would you do to ensure that we fulfill the plan’s promise to build a minimum of 17 miles of bike lanes per year? Are there specific areas of the city where you would prioritize implementation?

I do support the expansion of bike lanes, but in ways that make sense for the make-up of our city. We have to make sure that we have the infrastructure to support bike lane expansion so that we can prioritize the safety of those who use them. I would begin by installing them in proximity to major parks in the city. I recognize parks as the prime locations for leisure bike riding, so it is important that we created safe arteries for cyclists to safely travel from their surround neighborhoods to parks.

Approximately 50 people are killed on city streets each year while walking, biking, or driving, with another 9,000 people injured. What is your plan to reduce the number of Baltimoreans injured and killed in traffic every year?

It is importance that we assess the circumstances around each fatality. Factors such as construction on the street, planned neighborhood developments, and the conditions of our roadways all contribute to the safety of citizens on our roadways--in whatever ways they might be traveling. During my administration, the city saw a new record for miles of newly paved roads and the institution of bike lanes.

Approximately 800 Baltimoreans die early every year from preventable diseases related to carbon emissions, more than double the city’s murder rate. Thousands more are hospitalized each year as these emissions trigger asthma and other respiratory diseases. There is a strong correlation between hospitalization and proximity to major car commuter routes. What is your plan to reduce carbon emissions from automobiles in order to decrease the number of Baltimoreans hurt by and dying from emissions-related diseases?

The N.Y. Times recently had an article with a map showing that more than half the deaths in Maryland related to air pollution were caused by out of state pollution. First is to reduce the congestion through synchronization of lights and changing of routing. Continue to build on the growing infrastructure in the city for electric vehicles. The change is happening faster than had been thought. This takes carbon emissions out of the neighborhoods. The sources of the electricity is changing from coal to natural gas. The natural gas plants are more efficient than the internal combustion engine resulting in a net reduction in carbon. Which can be improved more by renewable energy.

Do you walk for transportation? If so, for what purposes, how often, and what was your last trip walking?
I often walk and bike around my neighborhood and parks for exercise. During the warmer months, I enjoy taking walks, but prefer cycling.

Do you use public transportation? If so, for what purposes, how often, and what was your last trip by public transportation?

I have used public transportation often over the years, particularly for downtown travel or in groups for large events that may have the roadways congested.

Do you ever ride a bicycle? Is it for transportation, recreation, or both? What was your last trip by bicycle?

I love bike riding for recreation. My schedule prevents me from riding as often as I would like, but in the warmer months, I am notorious for zooming by on my bicycle. I have cycled as recently as the past summer.

Baltimore’s urban areas have limited space on streets. In order to increase safety and improve mobility, some modes of transportation must be prioritized over others to make the most of this limited space. Please rank how you would prioritize different modes of transportation on city streets, using numbers 1 through 7:

1. Walking & devices that aid people with a disability
2. Bicycles & Scooters
3. Public Transportation
4. Ride Hailing Services (Taxi, Uber, Lyft)
5. Personal Automobiles
6. Parking
7. Freight and Delivery

Agree or disagree?

I support removing parking on a street if it would improve safety and increase mobility of people using that street.

Agree
While I support this, we also have to consider the residents and make up of that community. Residents, particularly seniors, also need ways to store their vehicles that are adjacent or within a safe distance from their home.

Minimum parking requirements are shown to increase housing costs while limiting potential density and making neighborhoods less walkable. I support following the lead of other cities that have removed minimum parking requirements from new development.

Disagree
Removing the mandate completely may not be the best fit for our city in its current state. We have to restructure our public transit model and improve public safety to ensure that residents have a safe and efficient way to navigate throughout neighborhoods.

Some cities require employers that subsidize parking also offer an option for employees to receive that subsidy as a cash payment. I support a mandate that employers offer parking cashout so that employees can choose to pocket that money, use it for alternative transportation, or continue using that cash to pay for parking.

Agree
I support employers providing provisions for their employees to make it to and from work in ways that are convenient and safe.

Increasing density in areas of opportunity is proven to help individuals escape poverty. I support taller, denser, or larger buildings in areas they are now prohibited by zoning.

Disagree
We have to be sure that we are building up these dwellings in ways that are responsible. I would first prioritize building multi-family homes in spaces where vacant properties now stand. This can be done through the land bank process.

Transit oriented development can expand access to areas of opportunity by locating housing and retail along high frequency transit. Current zoning code only identifies these zones along subway and light rail routes. I support expanded Transit Oriented Development zoning to include areas within a quarter mile of high-frequency bus routes.

Agree
If done responsibly, this might yield more efficiency for the individuals who use public transit. Having the services that they need available in proximity to the transit route may also increase usership for both the business and for public transit.

It is now widely accepted that Single Family Residential Zoning was historically created to maintain racial segregation. I support removing Single Family Residential Zoning categories, allowing both single family and multi family residences to be built in all residential zoning areas.

Agree
I support equitable access to affordable and safe housing. In some instances, multi-family housing provide access to a safe housing option for traditionally underserved communities.

I support allowing existing residences to be split into apartments in all zoning categories without having to pass legislation for each conversion, increasing density in neighborhoods that were traditionally single family homes.

Disagree
We have to maintain good policy around this issue in order to support the housing infrastructure for generations to come. Legislation will in congruence with supporting housing legislation will be an important means of oversight and regulation as communities are revitalized.

At 20mph, 90% of pedestrians survive being hit by a car. At 40mph, only 10% survive. I support enforcing a maximum speed limit of 25 mph on arterial streets, and 20 mph on local streets.

Disagree
I absolutely encourage safe practices on local streets. I steer from sweeping mandates for local streets because each community has unique needs and challenges. I support the effective use of signage, speed zones, and speed bumps to help keep citizens safe.

Allowing turns on red is a contributing factor in increased pedestrian injury and death. I support banning turns on red at all intersections that allow pedestrian crossing.

Disagree
Traffic should be designed to reflect the infrastructural needs of the community. Banning right turns at certain intersections can severely disrupt the traffic pattern in certain areas which may lead to more congestion. I support the use of crossing guards and signage to maintain safety.

Automated Speed and Red Light Enforcement Cameras are widely proven to reduce fatal collisions. I support using these cameras on any street, not just near schools and construction sites.

Agree
We must look at all of the ways that speeding can be enforced outside of cameras. Speed bumps, officers, speed zones, and signage all play important roles in keep citizens safe. I would like to assess the effectiveness of cameras over time to determine their expansion.

The Automated Speed Enforcement Camera current threshold is 12 miles per hour. I support cameras being able to issue citations for those traveling 5 miles per hour or more over the speed limit.

Disagree
We have to be responsible and assess the ways in which we enforce fines upon our citizens. I would like to first know the effectiveness of these over time, and how the revenue generated is being spent.

I would invest in automated enforcement cameras that will issue citations to private automobiles for being stopped or parked in bus lanes.

Disagree
As mentioned before, I would like to assess the effectiveness of the camera system. Public citations are a driving force for people to leave the city, so I would like to explore other effective ways to enforce this important law.

Dedicated bus lanes and bus boarding islands are proven to dramatically improve bus reliability and boarding times. I support removing parking or travel lanes to create bus lanes and boarding islands to improve bus performance.

Agree
If the traffic patterns of the area support it, I support safe areas for citizens to catch buses, and for buses to be able to travel more efficiently. This will improve the reliability of bus schedules, therefore expanding ridership.

The city adopted the Greenway Trails Network plan that will connect existing trails such as Gwynns Falls Trail and Herring Run Trail to create a 35-mile trail loop that connects 80% of Baltimore’s neighborhoods to greenspace and recreational trails. I support the construction of these trail connections, even if it requires using grass medians or taking road space or parking space away from private automobiles.

Agree
It is important that our city supports ways to make our city greener, reduce our carbon footprint, and keep our citizens active.